LAEC has four candidates in mind for president’s post

LONGMONT – The Longmont Area Economic Council has narrowed its nationwide search for a president down to four candidates and hopes to name one by mid-September.

Andy Bade, chairman of the economic council’s board of directors, made the announcement during the group’s annual Community Appreciation Awards luncheon on Wednesday.

Bade said he hopes to have the field narrowed to two candidates by the first of September. He declined to disclose names of the finalists. “I just wanted to let people to know where we are in the process,” he said, after the luncheon.

Wendi Nafziger has been serving as interim president since August when former LAEC president John Cody left the organization to be director of economic development for the city of Thornton.

LAEC began a search for Cody’s replacement at that time, but put it on hold late last year when the city of Longmont began reworking the structure of its economic development efforts, which included funding a portion of the economic council’s annual operating budget, and wanted to merge the city and the council’s efforts. The council, which had focused on recruiting and maintaining primary employers, also is funded by dues paid by member businesses.

A search committee had narrowed the candidate field for his replacement to three before consolidation negotiations began with the city and the hiring process put on hold in December.

The economic council resumed its search for a candidate in March.

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